Mountain Hardwear Skyledge 2 DP Review

January 4th, 2014 by Carl D
Mountain Hardwear Skyledge 2 DP backpacking tent in Alaska.
My backpacking tent, the Mountain Hardwear Skyledge 2 DP ultralight tent, sitting high on a ridge in the Chugach Mountains on our Bremner Mines to Tebay Lakes trek, in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, last summer. This tent LOVES this place!

Hey Folks

My favorite tent for Alaska backpacking trips.

Some of you might have seen a few years back I raved about the Mountain Hardwear Skyledge 2 backpacking tent. So why now, am I writing about it again? Why, other than to show you our killer campsite we call “The Mezzanine”, from the classic Bremner Mines to Tebay Lakes trekking trip? Everybody loves The Mezzanine!

What’s New in the Skyledge 2 DP

Well, one more reason its because it’s been upgraded, modified and changed, twice now in fact, so I thought I’d touch on a couple of things about the newer version of this tent, the Skyledge 2 DP.

Firstly, it has a new name. The DP is short for ‘Dry Pitch’. Meaning it’s possible to set the rainfly section of the tent up first, and then add the inner part of the tent afterward; a handy feature in the rain, for sure.

The Mountain Hardwear bio reads“DryPitch™ fly-first pitching lets you set up the tent in the rain and stay dry”, which I think is a little misleading. You will still get wet. The inner part of your tent will stay somewhat drier .. but rarely will it remain completely dry. Still, it’s a handy feature that I’m glad to see Mountain Hardwear working on.

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Northern Lights & Winter in Arctic Alaska

December 17th, 2013 by Carl D
A stock photo of the northern lights rising over a small creek, with the Brooks Range mountains in the background, part of Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
The northern lights rising over a small creek, with the Brooks Range mountains in the background, part of Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.

Hey Folks

I am just now back from a trip to the arctic looking for the northern lights; 4 of us went north of Fairbanks, to the Brooks Range, and spent a dark, cold week rambling around the mountains, enjoying what is ordinarily an incredible place; in the winter, a unique and somewhat amazing experience.

The northern lights are always challenging to photograph. Fortunately, they dropped by for a visit each night; we were indeed fortunate. We had cloudy skies for part of just one night, and all the moonlight anyone might ever hope for to light up the foregrounds. In the arctic, the moon doesn’t really pass ‘overhead’, but circles around the sky, so though it’s not high in the sky, it stays out for quite a while.

We were also lucky with the weather; there was just enough wind around (particularly higher in the mountains) to keep things from getting too cold. Weird, huh?

Wind (generally) keeps things warmer in the winter. On our final day, there was not the slightest breath of air, and the temperature dropped a lot .. hitting minus 40 right as we departed for the drive south. For the duration of our trip it had been (mostly) in the 0 to minus 20 range; Fahrenheit, of course).

Photography in the cold, at night, can be a challenge, but we were all well prepared, and managed to make some keeper images. I’ll write another post later about tips and ideas to alleviate some of the problems folks run into in such conditions. For now, I gotta catch up on some sleep.

Cheers

Carl

 

 

2013 – All For Glory: the Official trailer

November 14th, 2013 by Carl D

Hey Folks,

A fun little trailer for the annual “Year in Review” video, due for release sometime soon.

Enjoy!

Cheers

Carl

Backpacking in Wrangell-St. Elias: The Southern Traverse Trip Reports

November 5th, 2013 by Carl D
Backpacker in the Chugach Mountains, Bremner to Tebay backpacking trip, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.
The Chugach Mountains rock.

Backpacking the Southern Traverse in Wrangell-St. Elias

I’ve been guiding backpacking trips in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park since 2002. We lead more backpacking trips here than anywhere else, and for good reason. Six million acres of glaciers, mountains, and valleys with almost no trails and fewer visitors than most people can believe. But if you asked me to name one route that captures what backpacking in Wrangell-St. Elias is really about, I’d pick the Southern Traverse every time.

Bremner Mines to Tebay Lakes. Roughly 10 to 12 days in the backcountry. Through the heart of the Chugach Range. No trails. No other people. Some of the best campsites I’ve seen anywhere.

It’s almost 20 years since we first guided this trip, and I’m still yet to see another person on the route ever. That’s pretty special.

The Southern Traverse may just be my favorite hike in the world.

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Sea Kayaking with Harbor Seals

September 6th, 2013 by Carl D
A slow, careful approach allowed us to get up close and personal with these Harbor Seals on our Sea Kayaking trip.
A slow, careful approach allowed us to get up close and personal with these Harbor Seals on our Sea Kayaking trip.

Hey Folks,

Another photo from our July sea kayaking trip to Icy Bay. After a great day paddling across the bay, hiking along the edge of the Karr Hills and taking a close look at the Yahtse Glacier, we paddled back toward camp and found Harbor seals .. lots of Harbor Seals.

There are an estimated 3500 harbor seals in Icy Bay, and we saw plenty this afternoon.

It seemed like every other ice floe had a small family of seals lazing upon it, resting on the ice in the sun. Though many of them are somewhat skittish, because they’re so NOT used to human visitors, we had our share of seals that allowed us a closer look. Using the kind of approach that I recommend in my wildlife photography tutorial, we were able to approach pretty closely without disturbing them. If we moved slowly or not at all and just drifted quietly along, they didn’t seem to be too alarmed.

Harbor seals can be pretty skittish in areas where they’re hunted. We just had to let the sea kayaks drift and stay still, and quiet, and and did our best not to disturb them. Eventually they’d settle down and we all got some nice photos.

One interesting aspect of the wildlife ecology here is the prevalence of Harbor seals yet complete absence of orcas, a major predator of the seals. I’ve never heard of anyone, ever, seeing an Orca in Icy Bay; for some reason they just don’t come into the area. As a result, the seals are abundant, and somewhat casual, less wary than they can be elsewhere.

I’m not sure whether orcas avoid Icy Bay because of the shallow entrance to the bay or because of how cold the water is up in the north end of the bay or quite what it is.

I shot a few video clips of the seals on the icebergs, as well as a number of still photos, as well. It really helps to have such relatively calm waters to sea kayak in when photographing, and Icy Bay is great in that regard. Even though some times its windy here, generally the water is reasonably calm and protected; great sea kayaking.

If you’re reading this and enjoy sea kayaking, I highly recommend you browse our sea kayaking tutorial; lots of great info and instruction and tips to help you plan a trip.

Heading off for a Brown Bear Photo Tour soon; I’ll maybe catch some more harbor seal photos on that trip, as we’ll be along the Katmai Coast. Big fun!

Cheers

Carl

Nikon Coolpix L22 – Backpacking Photography Gear

January 22nd, 2013 by Carl D
On our Bremner Mines to Iceberg Lake trek, Amy and Cindy take a quick break before we ventured down to the glacier.
On our Bremner Mines to Iceberg Lake trek, Amy and Cindy take a quick break before we ventured down to the glacier. Photo taken with Nikon Coolpix L22.

Hey Folks,

Just editing some of my files from this past summer, and I ran across this picture from our August Iceberg to Bremner Mines trek in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. I shot this photo with my little Nikon pocket camera, a Nikon Coolpix L22. I started carrying a point and shoot (P&S) this summer, for the first time in I don’t know how long; too long!

It’s definitely nice to have something handy and accessible, without trying to deal with a larger SLR hanging from a strap while hiking. I generally carry my SLR or SLRs inside my backpack, stashed away where they won’t get (a) damaged and/or (b) left behind quite so easily. It’s SO easy while backpacking to stop and take a quick break, put something down, and walk off without it. That sucks when it’s a can of bear spray or a Nalgene, but it REALLY sucks when it’s something like an SLR, and insanely expensive.

So this summer I hiked with a trusty little Nikon Coolpix L22 in my shirt pocket – the perfect size for a P&S camera. I miss the image quality, of course, when I get home to view the images, but I mostly miss the functionality of the camera in the field. This could well be simply because I’m not as familiar with that camera as I should be, and so I just “point and shoot”, rather than fussing with trying to make some kind of manual controls. There were a few times when I really thought “man, I wish this camera would let me do x-y-z” – which of course I could easily have done if I’d had the SLR in my hands.

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Get Your Boots On

January 16th, 2013 by Carl D
Assorted footwear for backpacking and hiking
Assorted footwear for backpacking and hiking. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.

Hiking and backpacking boots in Alaska

A backpacking blog with no post about hiking boots? What gives?

Hiking boots are one of those subjects that are SO subjective that it’s invariably a much lengthier conversation than a blog post might, or should, be. Different boots fit different people well, and different boots fit different situations differently.

I can suggest what works well for me, in situation x-y-z, and that pair of boots might be completely inappropriate for you in the same situation. or, they might be completely inappropriate for me in situation a-b-c.

So it’s extremely difficult to try to write a ‘general’ idea about boots. I’ll give it a shot.

Choosing the Right Boot Material

Leather vs synthetic.

The biggest question most start with is “leather boots versus synthetic”.

Full Leather Boots

Full leather boots will typically tend to be more durable, provide a little better ankle support (though I have doubts about how much), be heavier and more expensive. If you backpack off-trail a lot, carrying a heavy load, and want a pair of boots that will last a long time, my suggestion is a leather pair of boots. But, if you hike mostly on trail, don’t carry a big heavy pack very often, and don’t mind replacing your boots more frequently, synthetic boots are often a good choice.

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Alaska Winter Driving and Travel Information for Photographers

January 6th, 2013 by Carl D
Winter travel, a snow-laden pickup truck on the McCarthy Road, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska.Winter travel, a snow-laden pickup truck on the McCarthy Road, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.
Winter travel, a snow-laden pickup truck on the McCarthy Road, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska.

Updated:, Jan 2026

This year seems to definitely be the year that photographers want to head north to photograph the northern lights here in Alaska; the number of websites that have suddenly added an “Alaska Northern Lights Photo Tour” to their schedule seems to have tripled yet again in about 6 months.

That, and considering the number of photographers heading up here on their own, or with friends, to photograph the Aurora borealis this winter/spring means we’ll very likely see dozens, if not hundreds, of really, really amazing northern lights photographs from this coming season. I know I’m sure looking forward to seeing all the great images.

Why Winter Driving in Alaska Is Different

Given this influx of folks from “down south”, I thought a good subject to write about, one that I hope many people will find useful, might be winter driving and winter travel in Alaska.

Coming, as I did when I moved here, from a background of very little real “winter conditions”, I had a lot to learn when I arrived (including what to wear for cold weather), and some of that might be helpful for others headed this way. Not just about the physical driving on snow and ice. What to bring with me. What hazards I’m likely to encounter. And on and on.

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Calendar Winners and Mount Blackburn

January 1st, 2013 by Carl D

Mt. Blackburn, the Root and Kennicott Glacier, wintertime, sunset, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Just a quick post to announce the calendar winners from the recent giveaway are Natalie, David and Jason. Happy New Year to these three, and the calendars are in the mail. Congrats all, and thanks to everyone for your entries. Tons o’ fun!

The name of the mountain was Mount Blackburn, from Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. The photo in this post was taken from the other side (east) of the mountain, winter solstice a few years ago. Mount Blackburn stands 16 391′ high, and is the 5th highest peak in the United States, the tallest in the Wrangell Mountains.

Cheers

Carl

Malaspina Glacier Traverse: Trip of the Year

December 31st, 2012 by Carl D
Traversing the Malaspina Glacier, Wrangell St. Elias National Park.
Jodee steps across a crevasse on the Malaspina Glacier, with 18 008′ tall Mt. St. Elias peaking thru the clouds in the background.

Hey Folks,

What better way to celebrate the new year than a quick tip of the hat to Expeditions Alaska’s trip of the year for 2012? The winner, for me, was the Malaspina Glacier traverse we did in August.

12 awesome days on the southern coastal edge of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, I led a group of 5 hardy adventurers over the largest piedmont glacier* in North America, down to the beach, and along the coast to our pickup place.

Plan B

A sketchy start, as our backcountry bush pilot informed us, right before we departed, that we wouldn’t be able to fly to our intended destination in the Samovar Hills. The huge snowfall we’d had over the previous winter hadn’t yet melted out enough to land safely at the remote backcountry strip.

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